Goodbye
by MoonlightSpirit
Summary: Zuko and Katara defeat Azula, but at the price of their own lives. They spend their last few minutes of life together, confessing things that should have been said long ago. When they are found, they're buried where their relationship first started.


**I was listening to **_**Final Goodbye **_**by Rihanna and thought of this. **_**Final Goodbye **_**is such a beautiful and sad song and, for some reason, made me think of the Agni Kai scene between Zuko and Azula in **_**Sozin's Comet**_**. It's the first time I'm killing of a character- well two characters in this story- I actually liked (and it wasn't easy). I always saw Zutara as a Romeo/Juliet type romance (forbidden love) which explains the little quote at that Sokka says. So here's **_**Goodbye**_**. **

_**PLEASE READ THIS:**_ **This story takes place during **_**Sozin's Comet **_**when Zuko and Azula were having the Agni Kai. Also, I recommend listening to the song _Final Goodbye _by Rihanna while reading this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Romeo and Juliet or the song **_**Final Goodbye**_**.**

Zuko took a stance, ready to deflect the lightning she was going to shoot at him. Zuko knew he could take on Azula. Something was off about her. Her clothes were disheveled, her hair was messing and her bangs uneven and there was a crazy look in her eye. One good lightning redirection and Zuko could take her down. Zuko watched Azula bend the lightning, her eyes fixed on him. Then her eyes darted to Zuko's right. Where Katara was standing. Zuko realized what was going to happen before it did. Azula bent her lightning in Katara's direction. And only one thought ran through his mind.

_No, _he thought, _Not her. _He ran as fast as he could between the path of the lightning and Katara. The lightning hit him, sending unimaginable pain through his body. There was no time to redirect it. The only thing that mattered was that Katara wasn't hurt. Zuko fell to the ground, writhing in pain, remnants of the lightning sparking around him.

"ZUKO!" came Katara's scream of shock. He rolled over onto his stomach in time to see Katara running to him.

_No, _he wanted to say, _Stay back. Azula will kill you. _Blue fire blocked Katara's path. Zuko's vision began to blur. He tried to reach out and somehow save Katara,but it was no use. Zuko rolled onto his back, the pain overtaking him. All he could see was a flashes of blue fire and water and two figures fighting, one red and one blue. There was a bright blue flash and white darts coming from the blur figure. There were two screams of pain and Zuko heard a body fall. Soft footsteps came his way. It was the blue figure. Katara. She knelt next to him, holding a hand to her heart.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice sounding exhausted, "I used all my water to defeat Azula." Katara collapsed on the ground, facing Zuko. He could see the blood coming from the lightning wound in her chest.

"Katara," he whispered hoarsely, brushing her hair out of her beautiful face.

"Why did you do it?" Katara asked, hissing in pain, "Why did you save me?" Zuko smiled at her.

"Because I love you," he said softly, "And I didn't want to lose you." Katara smiled back.

"I love you too," she said, "I just wish I didn't wait so long to say it." Katara and Zuko both knew they were dying and only had a few minutes left together.

_I never should have waited so long to say_

_What I've always known since the very first day_

"I thought we would all make it thorough this war alive," Zuko said, taking Katara's hand in his, "And we could be together."

"We'll be together soon," Katara said, "For eternity."

_Thought that you would stay forever with me_

_But the time has come to leave_

"Katara, I want to tell you something before this is over," Zuko said, "Something I should of told you long ago." Painfully he rolled onto his side and whispered in Katara's ear, "I live for you, and I'll die for you." Katara felt tears in her eyes.

_Before we turn out the lights_

_  
And close our eyes_

_I'll tell you a secret I've held all my life_

_It's you that I live for_

_And for you I die_

_So I lay here with you_

_'Till the final goodbye_

"Zuko, that's so sweet," she said. Zuko wrapped an arm around Katara's waist, pulling her close to him, being careful of her wound. Their lips brushed lightly.

_Hold onto me close_

_Close to my lips_

_Listen intently as I tell you this_

"At least you're the last face I'll see," Zuko said, "I wouldn't want to die any other way." Katara smiled, brushing Zuko's black hair out of his eyes and pressing a kiss to kiss forehead. Suddenly their were two bright lights in the distance that lit up the sky, one blue and one red.

"That must be Aang and Ozai," Katara said. The red light began to engulf the blue and both Zuko and Katara somehow knew that something was going wrong. But then the blue light overpowered the red, lighting up the red tinged sky. Katara smiled.

"Aang did it," she whispered, "We won."

"The war is over," Zuko said quietly.

_Outside the world wages its wars_

_I'll rest in peace as long as you know_

_Before we turn out the lights_

_  
And close our eyes_

_I'll tell you a secret I've held all my life_

_It's you that I live for_

_And for you I die_

_So I lay here with you_

_'Till the final goodbye_

"You know, this reminds me of the legend of two lovers," Katara said, "They died in a war between their villages. Like the war between the nations. And I think their loved carried onto this era."

"To who?" Zuko asked. Katara smiled, resting her forehead against his.

"Us," she whispered, "And our love will carry on to the next era."

_Promise you our love will carry on_

_Until time eternal we belong_

_Before we turn out the lights_

_  
And close our eyes_

_I'll tell you a secret I've held all my life_

_It's you that I live for_

_And for you I die_

_So I lay here with you_

_'Till the final goodbye_

Katara and Zuko felt their lives slipping from them, the darkness surrounding them, only able to see each other. Katara whispered to Zuko, "Kiss me." Zuko did so, capturing Katara's lips in a passionate kiss. For a minute the pain of their wounds was numbed and all they could feel were their lips moving against each other, their tongues dancing together.

_Kiss these grateful lips for the last time_

_We'll spell out the lyrics to love in the sky_

_It's you that I live for and for you I die_

They parted slowly, their lips still touching, gazing into each others eyes. And their last breath mingled as one as Katara's body went limp against Zuko's and Zuko's body relaxed, his eyes closing for the last time.

_So I lay here with you_

_'Till the final goodbye_

They died in each others arms, small content smiles on their faces.

_Goodbye_

The Gaang arrived about an hour later. First they saw the dead bloody body of Princess Azula, pierced with ice daggers.

"They're over there," Aang said. Sokka, Suki and Toph followed his gaze to the two bodies lying next to each other. One red, one blue. They ran over to them.

"Zuko, Katara, wake up, the war is over," Sokka said as the Gaang knelt beside them. That's when they realized neither teen was breathing.

"Katara?" Sokka said, lifting his little sister's body in his arms. Katara's body was cold, her face pale but a small smile on her face. Both her and Zuko had identical lightning wounds. Sokka recognized it from seeing Aang's own wound after Azula shot him down.

"No," Sokka said, in a strangled voice, "Katara." He held his sister's body close, tears falling onto her blood stained clothes. Suki placed a hand on his shoulder. Toph kneeled next to him, tears falling from her silver blue eyes, praying to feel a heartbeat from the two benders. Aang's body was shaking with sobs. Toph put an arm around his shoulders, letting him cry into her shoulder.

"I couldn't save her," Aang sobbed, "I should of been there. For both of them." Aang punched the ground angrily, tears spilling from his stormy gray eyes.

"She would have wanted to die like this," said Sokka quietly, struggling to keep his voice steady, "Katara loved Zuko. I could tell by the look in her eye every time she saw him." Everyone stared at Sokka.

"They died doing the right thing," Sokka said, placing Katara's body back next to Zuko's and putting Zuko's arm back around Katara's waist, just like how they found them, "They defeated Azula and helped end the war. It wasn't just Azula that killed them, it was this war. The nations fighting against each other led to this." Sokka placed a hand on the cold cheek of his sister.

"The world will go on without them," Sokka continued, silent tears falling from his light blue eyes, "But they won't be forgotten. For never was a story of more woe, than this of Katara and her Zuko."

The funeral was later that week. People from all three nations came together as one for the first time in a hundred years for the funeral of the two lovers. There was much argument over where they should be buried. In the Fire Nation, Zuko's home or in the Southern Water Tribe, Katara's home. In the end, the Gaang agreed on the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se. The place where Zuko and Katara first bonded and the first spark of their love was ignited. Toph and Aang created a tunnel leading down to the Catacombs. The Gaang, Mai and Ty Lee were the last people there after the funeral staring at the two coffins. Katara's was made of a light colored wood with water creatures carved into it. Zuko's coffin was made of dark wood with phoenix's and suns carved into it. Katara was dressed in shimmery blue water tribe robes, her hair out and still wearing her mother's necklace. Zuko was dressed in royal red Fire Nation robes. Both Zuko and Katara had identical content smiles on their faces.

Mai stepped over to Zuko's coffin, looking into his handsome face. Everyone was shocked when silent tears began to fall from her eyes. She didn't make a sound though. She leaned down and kissed Zuko's lips softly.

"I still love you," she said softly. She stepped back to let Ty Lee step forward. Ty Lee placed a light kiss on Zuko's cheek and looked at the small content smile on his face.

"Your aura's never been brighter," she said. She stepped back, allowing Sokka to step towards his sisters coffin. Sokka leaned down and kissed his sister's forehead.

"Say hi to mom for me," he said softly. He stepped back, allowing Toph to take his place beside Katara's coffin. Toph gave Katara's arm a little playful punch, saying, "Heaven's gonna bea whole light brighter with you up there Sugar Queen." Then she gave Katara a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping back and letting Aang take her place. Aang leaned over Katara's coffin, brushing the hair out of her eyes, staring into her beautiful face. He leaned down to kiss her lips, but at the last minute turned his head and caught her cheek.

"I'll always love you," he whispered to her. He stepped back and closed both the coffins. Then he bent the coffin the crystal of the catacombs around the coffins, enclosing them entirely in crystal. Then he bent words into the crystal. On Zuko's side it read:

_Here lies Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation_

_Master Fire Bender and war hero_

_Firebending teacher of Avatar Aang_

_Loving brother, son, friend, and lover_

_"Never give up without a fight."_

On Katara's side it read:

_Here lies Katara of the Southern Water Tribe_

_Master Waterbender and war hero_

_Waterbending teacher of Avatar Aang_

_Loving daughter, sister, friend, mother-figure and lover_

_"I will never, ever, turn my back on people who need me!"_

Over the next few minutes, Aang used his earthbending to carve the story of Katara and Zuko into the crystal, starting when Zuko hunted him in the South Pole and ending with their their funeral in the Crystal Catacombs. Under the story he carved:

_For never was a story of more woe_

_Than this of Katara and her Zuko_

The Gaang left, there silent sobs echoing in the Crystal Catacombs. Little did they know, there was still someone there who had been hiding behind one of the large clump of crystals. The person was a lady wearing green earth kingdom robes. She had straight waist long black hair, pale skin and narrow gold eyes, so similar to Zuko's. She walked over to the two coffins, placing a hand on the crystal encasing them. Tears appeared in her gold eyes, looking at her son's coffin and then to the coffin of the waterbender her son had fallen in love with. She quietly sung in an eerily beautiful voice a song she had learned in the Earth Kingdom:

_Two lovers, forbidden from one another_

_A war divides their people_

_And a mountain divides them apart_

_Built a path to be together_

_And die_

_  
Secret lovers_

_Secret lovers_

_Through the mountain_

_Secret, secret, secret, secret lovers_

**(sniffle) Okay, I admit, I cried when I wrote this. I actually had to stop writing for a minute because I got so emotional. I didn't know it was so hard to kill off a character. Please Review while I go cry T.T**


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